Friday 30 December 2016

My Christmas in Albir and Benidorm

Sierra Helado
 So.  First of all Mama and Daddy made me climb to the very top of Snake Bite Mountain.  It was very high and very scrambly and Mama didn't think I would make it but I did.  They were very proud of me.  Especially as it started to rain on the way down.  And that was the start of the downpour which lasted three days and we thought would never stop



Rain

Rain
 Rain rain go away.
Jetsum
 And it did go away.  Just in time for Nanny's arrival.  I was so happy to see her.  We did lots of things together.  We went to Altea.
Climbing the hill to the Cupola
We saw a Spainsh Father Christmas there and I asked him for chocolate and a toy.
Pape Noel
 And we went back to show Moraira to Nanny and went to visit her friend Aunty Julie.
Moraira again
And we also went to Bendiworm and it was so warm we went for a swim in the sea.         
Bendiworm
And Nanny spent all afternoon looking for a wig for less than 5 euros.
A wig

Christmas Square

Bumper Cars
 And we went to test out Christmas Squre for when my cousins come.  It was very noisy and Nana put ear plugs in.  I had a ball on the bumper cars but I did remark that nobody kept to the rules of the road.  Then on Christmas day I had a visit from Sinta Klaus.
Me and Sinta
 And we went out to visit my Uncle Xavy and we sat outside in the sunshine.  Nana and Uncle Xavier talked about old times.
En Famille
 And then Daddy made us all walk out to the light house before lunch and it was very very beautiful.  Lots of people were walking out there.
Another walk
 We had Christmas Dinner sitting outside the van in the sunshine.
Christmas Dinner
 And then we went to the beach.
A la playa
And I was sad to see my Nanny go
Me and my Nanny
 But we are leaving the campsite tomorrow to go and stay in apartment.  I ask every morning if today is the day that my cousins arrive.  Uncle Joe is coming too and Aunty Jayne and Aunty Ping and I just cannot wait.  Happy New Ear everyone.  Happy New Ear.

Thursday 15 December 2016

You never outgrow your Nana

Hanging Out
So we finally found a flat to rent in Bendiworm.  It was a little bit difficult because we needed to park Nona close by and we wanted to be near our cousins and Uncle Joe when he comes to visit.  After some time we found a place. And then I got to go to the beach.
La Playa
 The best thing about going to Benidorm is the bus journey.  I like buses a lot.  And trains. And trams and taxis and ferries.  Most things really except aeroplanes.
On the buses.
We had a lovely evening going on a bus to Altea.  We climbed right to the top to the Mosque - sorry church to see the sun go down.
Altea
 And there was a magnificent view at the top.
Altea




And we trotted back along the beach and a big moon came up to follow us home.
Super Duper Moon                    
And Mama said that if people didn't know us it would look like we were living the dream.
People keep asking me what I have asked Santa for.  Who's Santa?  Mama explained last night and so now when people ask what I have asked for I say some chocolate. Some milk chocolate with nuts in.  Hurry up Nanny.

Saturday 10 December 2016

“It's a thing to see when a boy comes home.” ― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath. Albir

Nearly in our old spot
So here we are back at Camping Cap Blanch.  Two years later.  I have been really looking forward to it and then we got here I pretended I didn't remember it. There were lots of people still here from our first visit. The first day I pretended I didn't know them.  Mama and I had our hair cuts and then we went for lunch.  We had the most delicious osso bucco we have ever eaten.  In fact I had never eaten one before but I ate most of this one.
Osso oh osso
 We went into Bendyworm to look for an appartment for January and it was a glorious day. Even Mama thought it was beautiful - something she thought she would never say about Bendyworm.
Bendy worm
I even went in the sea and Mama said she would have too if she had brought her swimmers.  
Whey hey
 There were all kinds of Christmas markets on. We went to one in Altea and I had a ride on a donkey who was the leader of the pack and led all the other donkeys up the street.
Little Donkey

Man in a Hat
 And then we went back to Altea and there was a big rain storm and a rainbow and I could see both ends of it.
Both ends
And now my favourite part of the day is leaving and entering the campsite.  Mama calls it my walk of fame.  People come out to say hello and wave and give me presents.  I now have a collection of a Santa Claus in a snowy ball, a statue of Stan Laurel, 2 pig piggy banks, a plastic cat cup with a bendy straw and a water jug.  My cup overfloweth.

Thursday 8 December 2016

You cannot stay on the summit forever......Denia, Moraira and Albir

And so we left our mountain and came down to the sea.  At Denia. Daddy found a fabulous parking spot right by the sea.  We had a palm tree over the van which rustled when we lay in bed.

Our spot
Denia was a lovely town. With its ceramic blue Moorish dome and it's palms.
The Church
And guess what?  It had a castle.  As you can see, we went to visit the castle and nobody looked at it.
Me taking pictures of Mama taking pictures and Daddy looking at a map

In the morning the sun came out and we had a beautiful view of the Montgo mountain and the sea.  I wished we could have stayed longer but there were plenty of No Campervan signs and we didn't want to outstay our welcome.            
Our View
And so we drove on to Javea.  It was difficult for us to get inpto the centre of the town so we moved on to Moraira and we were so glad we did. What a lovely place.  Our parking spot was not too pretty but right in the middle of the town and close to the beach. 

View of Calpe
We could see the back of Calpe from the shore and it was warm and beautiful.  The next day the No Funs made me climb to a tower on top of a moutain.  There.  Can you see that speck in the photo?  It was miles away.


The Tower
It ws hot and steep but there was an incredible view.
When we came down I was so hot I took my clothes off and got in the sea.  Lovely and clear and cold.

The sea; the snotgreen sea

And Mama was very pleased with her photograph of a yacht and a cormorant.
And there were some splendid sculptures and seascapes and sunsets.
And now we are back in Albir.  Our third visit in 3 years.  I am so pleased to see all my old friends.


Wednesday 30 November 2016

Climb Every Mountain

How green is my valley
I don't know how we came to be here but Mama and Daddy found this wiggly green road from Alcoy and followed it to an ACSI campsite in Vall de Laguar.  The road was very wiggly but the view was amazing and we could see the sea. 
Me up a mountain



My mountain
On the second day they enticed me up a mountain.  It did not look so high from the top but it did from the bottom.  On the way up we passed a house in the middle of nowhere selling English marmalade.  I don't think we are that much in the middle of nowhere.  The next day we walked to the next village Benimaurell where we found a fantastic restaurant.  We had stuffed mushrooms and garlic mayonnaise and then pigs cheeks and bull with fruit and wild mushrooms.  It was all delicious and I ate everything.
Partially eaten pigs cheek

A load of bull
We liked the restaurant Bar Restaurante Jalisco so much we came back twice.  The puddings weren't much to write home about though but for 10 Euros who can complain.  (I know.  Uncle Joe.)



A little rest
We had to have a little lie down on the way home.  Oh, it's a bit misty moisty weather up here by the way.  So the very next day the No Funs decided to walk me down a very deep canyon with 6000 steps.  It was very steep.
In to the bowels of the earth

Bottomless Pit

Do we have to come back up?

Peeping out from a cave

It's a bit difficult to see from the photos but it really was a very long way down.  The place is riddled with tracks of wild boar.  I have become very interested in tracking.  Mama calls it obsessed.  I get a stick and poke any poo and point out all the wild boar signs.  I became so interested that Mama looked them up for me on wiki.  She said that a 2012 study compiling wild boar attacks on humans found that there were accounts of 665 human victims since 1885.  The attacks mainly occur between November and January and mainly in the thigh.  Perfect she said.  She had been playing me recordings of wild boar as we walked along through the misty moisty forest and reading me this when all of a sudden there was a rustle behind her and she jumped out of her skin.  I wasn't afraid but Daddy said maybe we ought to leave the rest of the research until we got back to the van.
Here I am spotting tracks
 It has rained now for 3 days.  The nearest village is 10 minutes away.  Beautiful Campell.
 Campell
 Today we could see the sun trying to come out over the sea so we are going to try and find it tomorrow.  We will miss this place though.  It is truly moorish boarish.